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Staff applications to the Alumni Innovation Grant

Throughout the year Birkbeck receives donations from alumni and friends to support current students and projects around the College. The aim of the Alumni Fund is to make an immediate impact on the life of the College and offer the widest possible benefit to students, academic departments and the broader Birkbeck community.

We welcome applications from all areas of the College, including students, academic staff and professional support staff, for projects which will provide opportunities for students and enhance their experience at the Birkbeck. We are pleased to invite applications for up to £5,000 for new projects that will benefit the wider Birkbeck community. Our ideal is to support innovative pilot work that will later qualify for support from elsewhere but we are also happy to support one off projects. In the past the main stumbling block has been projects that are too focussed on one specific group. We are looking for projects that are widely accessible. The guidelines and criteria are below.

If you are interested in applying, please take a look at examples of past projects.

How to apply

Please follow the steps below:

  1. Read the Application guidelines
  2. Complete the Alumni Fund Grant application
  3. Send the application to the Development and Alumni Office

Deadline for applications is Monday, 1 August 2016, at 5pm.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome and grants will be allocated at the end of October 2016.

If you have any questions, please 

Terms and Conditions

Successful applicants to the Alumni Fund will be asked to meet stewardship and reporting requirements.

  • The funds provided will be spent in full by the end of 2016/2017, unless otherwise agreed with the Development and Alumni Office.
  • Should the project fall below budget, any unspent funds must be returned to the Alumni Fund unless the Student Experience and Widening Participation Committee (SEWPC) has explicitly agreed otherwise.
  • Produce an impact report on how the funds have been used to update the SEWPC and the Alumni Fund donors.
  • Full report on how the funds have been used will be produced at the end of the project. This report should include the following:
    • Information about how the money was used
    • How the fund has benefited your department
    • Quotes from students who have benefited from the project
  • Project managers and students will take part in occasional activities and events involving donors to help demonstrate how their gifts are making a difference.
  • Information about the Alumni Fund will be included in any publicity related to the project.

Useful links: